Belt shifter for stepped cone pulleys



Hmm-'2, 11923, A4AS2 E'. MILLS. BELT SHIFTER PoR STEPPEDCONE PuLLvEYs.

FILED JUNE 9. 1921,

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Patented dan., 2i, i923 STATE (tbl ERNEST MILLS, 0F CNCINNATI, OHIO, ASSGNOR T0 THE Sli/11TH .AND MILLS COll/IPANY,

OF C'NCNNATI, OHO, A CORPORATDN OF HIO.

BELT SHEFTER FOR STEPPED GONE PULLEYS.

Application filed JuneV 9, 1921.

To all w 7mm t may concern Be it known that l, ERNEST MILLS, a citizen ofthe Unitedv States oit America, and a resident ot Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useiiul Improvement 1n Belt Fhii-ters for Stopped Cone 7ulleys, or' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to belt-shii'ters ot' the rotary, irregularly or spirally grooved cam type :tor use in connection with the changeable-speed transmissions el' the reversely-set stepped cone-pulley torni, and its object is to simplify well to appreciably cheapen the cost ot the structure without sacriiicingthe efficiency thoreoii, or its lasting and reliable qualities,'to otherwise facilitate its operations'.y and to reduce, `to a decided minimum, wear and noise in use,

rlhe details of structure will he fully hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying sheet ot drawings, in which-n .higure l is a iront elevation showing the belt (in dotted lines) at its highest driving-point;

Figure 2, an end elevation of the in'iproved device, taken below the level indicated by the dotted-line 2, 2, ot l, omitting the belt, but showing the lower end ot the connecting-rod used between the pair of beltshiiter devices ot the upper and .lower stepped-cones 5 Figure 3, a plan view of the lower spirallygrooved cam and its mounting-bracket, and showing the initer-gear (having-connection, with the upright extension shaft or pin of the latter in cross-section;

Figure 4, a longitudinal elevation of the said lower spirally-grooved cam shown in Fig, 3, including the belt-shifting carrier or traveler, but omitting its transverse slide-bar that has the guide-eye for `the belt therein, and, also, omitting the hand-crank oitl the cam;

Figure 5, a transverse section, taken on the dotted-line 5, 5, of Fig. 4t, showing the spirally-grooved cam and the belt-shitting carrier or traveler, but, also showing the transverse slide-bar and--- y 1Figure 6, a perspective view oilz the said transverse slide-bar and its belt guide-eye.

ln these views l A indicates the upper driving steppedcone; B, its shaft, C, one of the hangerand its belt guide-eye;

serial No. 476,325.y

arms; and D, the mounting-bracket adapted to carry the upper cam-shifter for the upper bight in the belt E (shown dotted) that is to be moved transversely in the changing off the various speeds at which it is desired to run the machine. l

l? indicates the lower or driven steppedcone, reversely-set to and in alinement with that of the upper cone A.; G, its shaft eX- tending from the part H of the machine that is to be run at changeable speeds in its operation on material to be suitably shaped or otherwise dressed or prepared for use; l, the mounting-bracket adapted to carry the lower cam-shifter device for the lower bight in the said belt; and J, the connecting-rod Vfor coupling the pair of said reversely-set upper and lower cam-shifter devices so that they shall act in alined-unison in transmitting the power from the upper driving cone to the lower driven one tor imparting the desired changeable speeds to the machine.

Thus far the reversely-set stepped-cone changeable-speed devices lare of ordinary torni and common to numerous variablespeed operated machines. l will nowtake up my peculiar form ot belt-shiiiter containing my invention herein.

(i and i' respectively indicate the upper and lower cylinders or drums, the one, 6, being located and alined parallel vto and beneath the upper stepped-cone A, and the other, 7, being located and alined parallel to and axially above the lower stepped-cone l?. rlihese drums are counterparts of each other and are set in parallel alineinent, with the connecting-rod J between them, as best shown in Fig. l. Each drum has a camgroove made longitudinally along itsy periphery or circumference, such cam-groove being of irregular form and having Vstraight circumferential parts 8 at regular parallel intervals apart, and, also, having spirallydirected parts 9 that lead to and pass from the said parallel straight parts 8 along the surface oi? the drums, as best shown in Fig. l and well shown in Figs. 3 and 4. T he object of these mixed or straight-and-spiral camgrooves is two-told, the straight parts of the grooves being relative to or coincident with the normal set or running positions of the belt when engaged over the desired respective steps in the two reverseiy-set cones, and the spiral parts being those relied on in the transverse shipping or shitting movements ii o of the belt when transferring it along the stepped-cones from one step to the desired other one to sui-t the desired speed at vwhich the machine is to be run. e

rlhe upper cam-drum 6 is mounted on an axial-shaft 10 that is journaled at its opposite ends in the pendent end-walls or arras 11, 11, of the horizontal suspension-trame bar 12, the latter, in turn, being mounted at the lower ends oi hanger-arms 13 (oneonly, of those C, being` shown), and the lower cam-drum 7 is mounted on an arialkshaft 14 journaling` at its opposite ends in the end-walls or upright arms 15, 15, of the horizontal base-bar 16 (of the lower bracket l) that is secured by means oi' bolts or the like 17 to theside-part 18 shown at H in :tragmentary-section only) ot the machine to be operated by the changeable-speed mechanism herein.

Suitable bosses 19 and`20 are provided on the inner faces of the uprig t-arms 15, 15, for more extended bearings for the shaft 14, and the l'samestructure prevails in the upper shifter-member in connection with the pendent end-walls 11, 11.

'21 indicates a hand-cranl` attached to the extended outer end 21a of the lower axialshalt 14, convenient to the reach of the operator ci the machine 'for shitting the belt when it is desired to change the speed thereof.

In the lower cam-shifter device the drum has a protuberant hub 22 at one end thereol that is secured by means of a pin 23 or the like to the shaft, so that the drum shall turn with the shalt, and a suitable washer 24 is placed between the said hub 22 and the adjacent boss 19 to provide tor any undue wear, end-thrust or otherwiseD At the opposite end o12 the said drum of the lower shifter device is keyed a miter-gear 25 on the shaft 14 that is adapted to be engaged with a driving; mitcr-gear 26 at the lower end ol" a vertical short shaft or pin 27, the latter ournaling in a horizontal box 28 that extends inwardly from the upper'end of the adjacent end-wall 15.012' the base-bar 16. The upper end ot 7the said short shaft 27 is pivo'tallv-connected at 29 to the lower end drum, its cam-groove, its axial-shaft, its

miler-gear 32, the miter-gear 33 at the upper end ci. the said. short sha-it 30, together with the washer 34, correspond to the like parts in connection with the lower shifter device `and will now need no repeated description thereof.

naaoaee ln both the upper and low-er shifter devices a transversely-slidable guide-eye 35 is provided at the outer end or a ribbed bar 36 together with a traveler or mounting-carrier 3?, the latter being` movable or slidable along the drum in each shifter device, and which l will now briefly describe in detail. The ribbed bar 36 of each ot the two shitters engages a transvers slot or guideway 38 made in the base of its traveler or mounting-carrier 37, the body-portion olf the latter being` a cylindrical block or ring whose inner diameter or orifice is very slightly larger, for clearance, than that of the outer diameter of the drum, which it encircles and along;` which it is adapted to freely slide back and forth in the adjustment of the belt that passes through said ,guide-eye 35 oii each shifter. The base orv bottom oi each traveler 37 has vertical side-extensions 89 that spanthe respective upper suspension-bar 12 and the lower base-bar 16 that form track-ways therefor, as best shown in Fig. 5 in connection with the lower-shifter device. Avertical set-screw or switch-post 40, that has a plain, tracer, inner end 41a, engages a threaded opening made in the apex of the rin-gportions 41 of the carriers 3'?, and its said inner, plain end 41:L is adapted to'engage the irregular slot or cam-groove oit the drum, so that when the belt is to be'shiiited or switched sidewise in either direction, the hand-crank 21 is turned so as to rotate the lower drum, which rotably-coupled with the upper drum by means oit' the connecting*- rod rl, whereby both drums shall act in unison, with the straight portions o't `their cam-grooves alternately in alinement Ytor the continuous running; ot the belt where placed,

and with the spiral parts ot tie said camgrooves used to torce or feed the two travelers 37 along?, their several drums and simultaneously transfer or switch the said belt sidewise along the respective stepped-cones A and l?, to suit the desired speed at which the machine is to be run. `The guide-eye slide-bars 36 for the belt move automatically back and 'forth in their slots y38 as the belt shii'ts from .step to step along` the several cones, the bights in the belt at topV and bottom changing or widening and narrowing, as the case might be, or dui-j,7 compensating for the deflection or passage sidewise of the belt, back and torth, in the shii'iting` 4operation thereof.

lin operating the pair el? shi'lters, the hand-crank 21 is turned so as to rotate the lower cam-drum, which transmits rotary movement to the miter-gears yat one end thereof and thence, through the connectingrod J, imparts motion to the upper camdruni through the upper pair of mitergears, whereby the upper traveler or carrier-block first starts to move along` the upper cam-drum to shift the upper bight in the belt. The said first sidewise-movement of the belt is effected by the upper switchpost whose inner end engages the beginning of the irst spiral part oi" the cam-slot in the upper drum, and the latter is made to turn a halt revolution so to clear the said lirst spiral part ot the cam-slot and the said upper switch-post to enter the first straight part in the cam-slot, and at which moment the second or next step in the upper cone has been fully effected or reached with the upper bight in the lbelt in full engagen'ient therewith, ready tor the further turning of the said upper switch-post in the first straight portion of the cam-slot, and, also, for the entrance ot the lower switchpost into the first spiral part ot the cam-slot of the lower drum, after passing from the straight iii-st part of the said lower cam-slot in which the said lower switch-post has been engaged during the iirst halll revolution oi' the lower drum, and then the transifer o' the lower bight in the belt follows, to become taut on the second step of the lower cone, and without the use ot any idlers at any time.

l. ln a belt-shifter device 'for a pair ot parallel, vertically-aimed, reversely-stepped cone-pulleys, the combination ot an upper hanger-and-track frame having journal bearing-arms at its opposite ends, a drum or cylinder having an irregularly-termed slot along its periphery, an axial-shaft tor said drinn, a. longitudinally-movable traveler having a tracenpin adapted to engage said slot in the drum, a t3ansversely-slidable har having a belt loop or guide-eye at one end thereof and reciprocallysupported by the said traveler, a vertical, oblidimly-arranged rotatory connecting-rod, a lower hangerand-track trame having journal bearingarms at its opposite ends, a drum or cylin der having an irregularly-formed slot along its periphery and corresponding to that of the said upper drum, an axial-shaft for said lower drum, a longitudinallyemovable traveler having` a. tracer-pin adapted to engage the said slot in the lower drum, a trans- ,f'ersely-slidable bar having a belt loop or -eye at one end thereof and reciprocall.l supiiorted by the said lower traveler, imiter-gears mounted on the said upper and lower hanger-andtrack trames at the respective opposite ends ot the said vertical oblique connecting-rodl and having pivotalconnection therewith so that the upper and lower drums shall aet in unison, and a handcranlr tor use in rotating the said lower slot ted drum and thence, through the medium of the said connecting-rod and miter-gearsq rotating the upper slotted drum, both in unison, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. ln a belt-shifter device for reverselystepped cone-pulleys orvariable-speed mechanism, a drum or cylinder having a longitudinal cam slot or groove constructed along its periphery or circumference, an axialshait 'for the said drum, a. hanger-and-tracl: trame, a traveler or carrier-block adapted to be moved or slid lengthwise along the trackportion et the said hanger-and-traclr frame, and having transverse slot or guide-way in its lower portion or base, a belt guide-eye haring` an extension bar or arm adapted to engage within and slide across the said slot or guide-way in the base ot said traveler or carrier-block and thereby automatically compensate :for the variable widths of bights in the belt as it is slid or moved sidewise in shitting it tor different speeds desired, and a vertical coupling or tracer pin in the said traveler or carrier-block adapted to freely engage the said cam-slot in the drum for moving the carrier along the track or basebar or the said hanger-trame, substantially as herein shown and described.

ERNEST MlLLS. 

